The Final Escape
by wishyfishy
Summary: AU. DW/Escape to Witch Mountain. Tia and Tony failed to escape from Bolt's grasp, and have been living in terror ever since. That is until a mysterious investor named Mr. John Smith appears...Oneshot.


Disclaimer: The two of the biggest film and television companies in the world own the rights to these characters. Though I'd like to think that somewhere, in some parallel universe, I do.

It had been five years since Tia's and Tony's failed escape attempt. Since then Bolt made sure that they were never out of his sight. They had tried and tried again and again to escape, but for some reason or another, things always ended up going wrong. Finally it was three years ago that they had just stopped trying all together, disheartened and hopeless.

They were still given just about everything they could've ever wanted, but they were trapped in that paradise, forced to do tasks for Bolt's own gain. All hope of possible freedom was lost, their desire flattened. They instead focused on getting to through the days one at a time. There was nothing they could do; they knew that.

It was a week before the man, the investor, came that they started to hear a strange noise. Their powers had been getting stronger and stronger with every passing year, and they now knew that this noise was foreshadowing their future. If only they knew what the sound was. There were also the drawings Tony began sketching on the margins of his books, drawings of a blue box, a Police Box...

Then that man came, somehow digging himself into Bolt's confidence with surprising speed. The siblings were confined to their room, but they knew he was in the house, they could sense him. He wasn't normal.

Bolt invited the man to stay in the home. A day later, Bolt called Tia and Tony to dinner to meet his new investor. This was rare. The billionaire usually hid his secret weapons from the public eye, as not only a provision to keep them under his control, but also a precaution to keep the siblings secret. He didn't want his competitors to find out about them. Good considering how special and helpful to Bolt's business they were.

"Mr. Smith, this is Tia and Tony, the kids I was telling you about. You know, the ones that I adopted," said Bolt with his malicious grin motioning to the siblings as they sat down at the table.

"'ello," replied the man with a wave, a quirky smile painted his lips.

He spoke in a British accent and wore a peculiar combination of clothes that included a pinstripe suit and a pair of converse, but that wasn't the oddest thing about his appearance. There was a cheery expression pasted on his thin face, but his eyes were dark, old, and serious. If they weren't sure before, they were certain now that this man wasn't the normal by any standards, which posed the question as to why he was suddenly in Bolt's confidence.

Soon they finished their greetings and sat down for dinner. It was a fabulous show of grandeur and decadence, all designed to display Bolt's prosperity and the value of an investment into his company.

Tia and Tony kept their heads down for most of the meal, listening quietly to the jovial conversation between Bolt and Mr. Smith about fishing, recent politics, and other mundane things. Bolt always like to save the business talk until he had a full stomach.

During the main course and about half way through Bolt's well rehearsed golfing joke, Mr. Smith turned away from his meal and caught the eye of Tia.

_Is he always like this?_

Tia could've sworn that he had spoken this, but his lips _weren't_ moving. She dropped her fork, causing a loud enough clatter to interrupt Bolt's punch line. He turned and glared at her as Mr. Smith went back to his meal, smiling. She quickly picked up her fork and went back to eating as Bolt returned to his now ruined joke.

Tony looked at her, questioningly. Tia gave him a sideways glance and picked up her water glass.

_Mr. Smith spoke to me…telepathically!_ she spoke in her brother's head, careful not to reveal to Bolt what she was doing. He didn't much enjoy having unheard conversations in his presence.

Tony's eyes appropriately widened. He quickly turned to the investor, staring in disbelief. The man winked as he put a spoonful of expertly prepared cream chowder in his mouth. It was Tony's turn to drop his fork.

"What is wrong with you two today?" questioned Bolt crossly, looking up after being interrupted by a clatter for the second time in the past minute.

"Uh…n-nothing," muttered Tony, quickly picking up his fork and returning to his kidney pie.

"You're not nervous are you? It's not every day that you meet new people," the billionaire smirked, his eye glinting maliciously. He leaned over to Mr. Smith to explain. "They don't get out much."

"Why?" questioned the investor.

"They prefer to stay in the house. Extreme introverts, the both of them."

Tia's jaw tightened as she tried to focus on her food, staring at her roast like it had personally murdered her parents. Tony's hand clenched, grasping his fork so tightly that his fingers ached. He glared daggers into Bolt's wine glass. The billionaire's words couldn't be farther from the truth and the sad part was that he knew it. He enjoyed the taunt, and it was sickening.

He reached to take a sip of chardonnay when the glass shattered in his hand, slicing open his palm. Tony tried and failed to hide his grin. Tia gave a warning glance to her brother, but was also smiling. Bolt gazed down at his bleeding hand in disbelief for a second before turning up to look at the twins. His mouth set into a fine line and his eyebrows lowered. He knew what they had done.

"I think it's time for you two to go to bed," he stated menacingly.

"Ah, come on. It's only 9:00. One little late night won't hurt them," commented Mr. Smith.

"_No_…they have an early bedtime. They have to get their sleep. Now _go_."

Tony and Tia did as they were told. There was no point in pissing off Bolt even worse that he was now. They had done that before with horrible consequences. The billionaire might like to keep his secret weapons comfortable with all the luxuries that money could buy, but he could be terribly cruel if he wanted to, kill your dog kind of cruel. But before they left the dining room, Tia once again caught the gaze of Mr. Smith.

_Midnight. Be ready to go home._

Tia stared at him, not sure what to think. In response, the man only continued to paint on that odd smile of his as he went back to his meal.

))))

"Who do you think he is?"whispered Tony in the safe darkness of their room.

"No idea…but it's obvious that he's not normal," responded Tia in an equally quiet voice.

She had immediately told her brother about what Mr. Smith conveyed upon arrival in their bedroom. They were now curled up on the carpet with the lights off. It got so dark in that part of the country that the blackness of night had long since been a haven where they could act and speak freely.

"Yeah, I guessed that part…but, Tia, do you think he's one of our kind? Sent here to rescue us?"

"I sure hope so, Tony. I don't think I can live like this much longer."

"Me too."

))))

The three hours passed unbearably slow for the twins. They spent the time in the dark fiddling around with the various things that Bolt had bestowed them, counting every minute until midnight and hoping, wishing that whoever this man was, he was there to save them from this nightmare that they've failed to escape.

Finally the clock on the wall gently chimed twelve, and as the ring slowly faded away a soft knock sounded from the door.

"Tia, Tony, it's me," whispered Mr. Smith.

They both jump up and rushed to the door that Bolt locked nightly. They could hear a faint buzzing sound coming from the other side and a dim blue light shone through the crack between the wood and the floor. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Mr. Smith.

"Come on. I disabled the alarms, but only momentarily. We have to move fast," he urgently spoke.

He turned around and started to head for the back, beckoning the twins to follow. They did. Faint glimmers of moonlight reached through the windows lining the hall. The walls loomed dark and menacing around them as they followed this strange man.

They eventually made it to the back door, moving silently through the house like ghosts. Mr. Smith continued to lead them out into the yard where the wind whispered across the lawn and through the distant trees. The moon was soon covered by clouds, hiding almost as if it was holding its breath.

The twins' heartbeat was frantic. It seemed almost too good to be true. Were they actually leaving?

At that moment, floodlights flashed on, illuminating everything in a harsh, unearthly glow.

"Do you really think that after all those escape attempts, I wouldn't be listening in on your every spoken word?" It was Bolt, stepping out of a side door with armed guards closely behind. "After all these years, you're still just naïve little _brats_. As for you Mr. Smith, I should've known that your offer was too good to be true. I guess I'll just have to be more careful with you in the future."

"What make you so sure about that, Bolt?" asked Mr. Smith. He was standing tall, and rigid, barely moving a muscle.

"Well, isn't it clear? Nobody, including you Mr. Smith, is going anywhere."

"The name's not actually John Smith." The man relaxed suddenly, rubbing his ear. "Surprised you didn't question that. Now who's the naïve one, eh?"

Bolt glowered. "What is it then?"

"The Doctor." There was power behind those words, but no menace. It was deeper than that, older, richer, like he was meant to have that power, like he earned it.

"And is that supposed to impress me?"

"Well, not necessarily. I would be surprised if you knew who I really was."

_Doctor_…Something about that name rang a bell somewhere in the back of Tina's mind. She had heard it somewhere before. It was reawakening memories she had long thought were complete.

"And who are you, 'Doctor'?" asked Bolt, continuing to step forward.

"That's a good question. I often ask myself that. More than you'd think. But I do know one thing: I'm not like you, Bolt. I would never use innocent children for my own gain," answered the Doctor, also stepping forward.

"Oh, as you probably know by now, these are no ordinary children."

"And does that justify locking them up for _five years_ and forcing them to do things for _your_ business? No. It does not." The Doctor stopped and planted his feet. The twins could feel the intensity of his gaze upon Bolt. The businessman took a step back.

Yes, thought Tina, she remembered that voice now. In among the water, desperately clinging to anything that would save them, she had heard his named called and that voice answering… She didn't know why she hadn't remembered it before, when she first set eyes on the Doctor. Maybe it was the fright, the heavy blanket of fear that Bolt has put them under for years, that was hampering her memories. Or maybe her mind had just deemed those thoughts too painful, when she believed they were never going to see their Uncle again.

But whatever the case, she was remembering now. He had been there. He had saved them. Maybe he could save them once again. Tia looked at Tony.

_Don't worry. We're in safe hands._

"And what gives you the authority to say that?" asked Bolt, not willing to back down. "You're not police."

"True. I'm not. I'm also not a big, pink rabbit." The Doctor had dropped his serious tone and began to pace the yard, completely baffling Bolt. The twins couldn't help but grin.

"Though I'm sure the fur would be useful in _really_ cold climates," the Doctor continued. "But I also know I'm not a great big, bulking moron with a gun, easily confused by even a simple math problem." He had glanced at Tina when he has said this then at the guards. _On my signal_, he told her.

"And I may be bold sometimes," spoke the Doctor, "but I'm not as bold and loud as huge, blinding floodlights." This time the Doctor had glanced at Tony. The boy nodded.

"But you know what?" asked the Doctor. He had made it around to Bolt, standing less than a foot from his face. "I don't really care about what I'm not. I care about what I am. And what I am, is the man that is going to stop you, Bolt, once and for all. I will topple your little empire and bury you beneath it. Oh, it may not be tonight, it may not even be this week, but you _will_ go down."

It took a second for Bolt to realize what the Doctor was saying. A visible quiver of fear ran across his body when he did. But he quickly replaced it with anger, not willing to be seen as weak.

"How. _Dare_. You," muttered Bolt, beginning to shake with rage.

"Oh, I do it very easily. Now if you excuse me, I've got to be going," said the Doctor, beginning to distance himself from the businessman.

"And what makes you think, I'll be letting you go anywhere?" said Bolt.

"I don't know, maybe because I can." The Doctor smiled. "_Now_!"

At that moment Tia mentally baffled the guards, and Tony blew out the lights. The yard was left dark and confused, but the Doctor wasted no time. He grabbed the twins' hands and ran towards the trees. They fearlessly followed behind him.

The moon has come out of hiding to light their way. They could hear Bolt chasing after them, but for the first time in years, the twins weren't afraid. They knew that as long as they held onto the Doctor's hands, they were safe. They would soon be free.

They reached the trees, stumbling through branches to certain place that only the Doctor knew. It wasn't far off. A small clearing quickly opened before them, and there stood a tall blue box: the exact one that Tony had been doodling for months. The twins instantly knew that this was what had been calling out to them for days, this was what they had been waiting for.

As they ran towards it, the sound of Bolt crashing through the tree line reached their ears. After all these years and all the money he had gained, he wasn't going to let his secret weapons go that easily. But again, there was no fear in their hearts as the twins watched the Doctor open the door to the blue box. They knew that one more step would take them out of Bolt's reach forever.

The door of the box closed behind them. They could hear Bolt's fists pounding the wood and trying to pull vainly at the handle, but they ignored him. There was much more exciting things in front of them.

"It's bigger on the inside…," muttered Tony, stepping up the ramp.

"Yep," grinned the Doctor, leaning against the main consul. "It's my ship."

It was glorious. Large and stretching with huge coral-like arms reaching up into the distance, the place was illuminated in a soft orange and green glow. In the center, was a round consul, full of bits and pieces of levers and buttons, almost as if someone had taken spare parts and glued them together.

Tia could feel a slight comforting presence in her head. She smiled. "It's alive."

"Yep, and she seems to like you too," replied the Doctor.

"But…," began Tony, turning towards the man, "I still don't get it. Who are you?"

But before he could answer, Tia spoke. "You saved us, didn't you? When were little. Out in the sea. I remember now."

"That was me. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I would've…but it's complicated," the Doctor said, scratching the back of his head.

"So…you're not one of us?" asked Tony.

"No. I come from a race called the Time Lords…now…" He turned towards the consul and began to press buttons. "I think it's time that you two go home. I know a certain person who's been longing to see you again."

The pillar in the middle of the consul began to move, and a wheezing, grinding sound emanated from its core. It was the sound that had been haunting their dreams. Now they finally knew: It was the sound of them going home.


End file.
